Very disappointing video quality - straight out of the box...??

[Jens Rosenstand]

Hi,

Just got my P4P - which will replace my P4.

I took it for a first flight - with camera set on auto - and was surprised to see that:

• Video is not in any way as sharp as it was in my P4
• Contrast is heavy, so light areas are overexposed a bit and dark areas are without details, just too dark

I have been flying with DJI's since Phantom 2 - and I have extensive experience in both drone flying as well as video recording, and I am really puzzled with this.

Straight out of the box my P4P performs surprisingly bad compared to my former P4 - which seems very strange.

Any comments...?

Br.
Jens

 

[richardhurst]

Even though you had it set to auto did you tap the screen to focus in the first place??

 

[Dronefriend]

The P4P is a tool, not a toy. You should learn basics such as focusing and exposing.

Focusing is easy. For a P4 "experience", set it to Manual and drag the wheel all the way to infinity. For a regular DSLR experience, set it to Auto and focus on the subject you want it focus. Or use Manual to set it to the appropiate point.

For exposing, I recommend you to:
In video: Set it to Manual. Set Shutter speed to twice your framerate (30 fps=60). Set ISO to lowest possible value without underexposing. Let Aperture be whatever it will for a good exposure.

For photos: Set it to Manual. Use the lowest possible ISO, but don't be afraid to go up to values over 1000, if you have to. Use a high shutter, preferably over 500. Do not mind aperture, though if you have the option, avoid the lowest parts of the spectrum (9-11). This is because the smallest opening in the aperture can cause a slight blur.

 

[With The Birds]

The P4P is a tool, not a toy. You should learn basics such as focusing and exposing.

Focusing is easy. For a P4 "experience", set it to Manual and drag the wheel all the way to infinity. For a regular DSLR experience, set it to Auto and focus on the subject you want it focus. Or use Manual to set it to the appropiate point.

For exposing, I recommend you to:
In video: Set it to Manual. Set Shutter speed to twice your framerate (30 fps=60). Set ISO to lowest possible value without underexposing. Let Aperture be whatever it will for a good exposure.

For photos: Set it to Manual. Use the lowest possible ISO, but don't be afraid to go up to values over 1000, if you have to. Use a high shutter, preferably over 500. Do not mind aperture, though if you have the option, avoid the lowest parts of the spectrum (9-11). This is because the smallest opening in the aperture can cause a slight blur.

You will probably need ND filters to keep the shutter at 1/60s in bright conditions. At least one stop, preferably two stops so you could use f8 (even then you will likely be seeing the effects of diffraction limitation- the small opening slight blur issue you talked about).

 

[Jens Rosenstand]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. Setting focus to manual, and dragging the week all the way to infinity? What exactly do you mean by that, I do not see that feature at all in P4P?

MODIFIED....sorry got it. Will try that - however it's still unclear to me why the P4P in auto mode is not in any way as sharp and crisp as P4....

Thanks

 

[msinger]

Here's an overview of the focus features:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[F3honda4me]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. Setting focus to manual, and dragging the week all the way to infinity? What exactly do you mean by that, I do not see that feature at all in P4P?

MODIFIED....sorry got it. Will try that - however it's still unclear to me why the P4P in auto mode is not in any way as sharp and crisp as P4....

Thanks

Because the camera on the P4P is far more advanced and really isn't set up for a "point and shoot" approach. You have to learn how to use this drone/camera properly and once you do the video/images will blow you away.

 

[ianwood]

- however it's still unclear to me why the P4P in auto mode is not in any way as sharp and crisp as P4....

It is equally as sharp if not more so. You just need to take the time to learn how to use it properly. It works differently to the regular P4.

 

[KevMo Photog]

What they said Jen! You can do it but you have to do some tweaking on settings to get it right! ND filters will help with your shutter speed to. To get your desired frame rate and desired aperture at set ISO.

 

[Andrei V]

The sharpness is probably a question of focus (you do need to set focus on the P4P, unlike the P4, and infinity focus is not always a good idea!)

However, I do have to agree that the the P4P footage is much more contrasty (less flat) than the P4, even in standard more (not dlog or anything). Unfortunately, there is no good way to get a less contrasty image from the P4P currently, since both DLOG and custom -contrast settings don't do what they should be doing. Hopefully that will be fixed through a firmware update in the future.